John is a killer, but that wasn't his day job before the Apocalypse.
In a harrowing 900 mile race against time to get to his wife just as the dead begin to rise, John, a business man trapped in New York, soon learns that the zombies are the least of his worries, as he sees first-hand the horror of what man is capable of with no rules, no consequences and death at every turn.
Teaming up with an ex-army pilot named Kyle, they escape New York only to stumble across a man who says that he has the key to a rumored underground stronghold called Avalon..... Will they find safety? Will they make it to Johns wife before it’s too late?
Get ready to follow John and Kyle in this fast paced thriller that mixes zombie horror with gladiator style arena action!
S. Johnathan Davis has been published by Severed Press, Kings Way Press and Luzifer-Verlag. He is best known for publishing apocalyptic horror.
Davis released his first novel, 900 Miles, in January of 2013. The book debuted as number one on Amazon’s top new books for weeks after the initial launch, and remained in the top 100 in Occult Horror on Amazon for over 8 months.
In addition to being a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), Davis is an active blogger, podcaster and participates in events along the topics of horror and all things zombie.
A sequel to 900 Miles is now available.
Davis resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two children.
Wow... That was awesome and I'm not a fan of the zombie genre. While it isn't going to win any literary awards, it doesn't need to. It does its job very very well. Its very easy to read and very entertaining. I liked the uncomplicatedness of the writing style that communicated the action and tension just enough to enable it to flow to the extent that this book is the very example of a 'page turner'. You really find yourself involved and immersed in Kyle and John's journey. I had to look up from what I was reading a couple of times to make sure I was safely not with them hehe. Great stuff. Highly recommend. Will definitely read the next book.
Ein Zombiebuch ... mmhhh ich habe es von meiner Kollegin bekommen und habe mir gedacht .. das wird bestimmt nichts aber als grosser Fan der Serie "The Walking Dead", gab ich dem Buch 900 Meilen eine Chance und ich fands toll. Wirklich echtes Kopfkino. Die Geschichte "Itself" bietet ziemliche Parallelen zu der Serie The Walking Dead aber der Schreibstil ist so packend und gut gemacht,dass man sich echt wie in einem Film vor kommet, ready um gegen die Zombies zu kämpfen. Ich werde den zweiten Teil auf jeden Fall lesen ...
In my oh so humble opinion, there aren't a ton of really good zombie books. But I would say this is definitely one! It is told in a sort of past tense but it still builds excitement and tension. It was definitely a good read. The ending got me though.
I really liked John and Kyle as characters. Guess I need to check out the next book.
Popcorn read. I enjoyed the fast read. The author has good pacing without getting bogged down in details. The book sets up a good basis for future stories and the characters have potential to develop.
John ist eigentlich ein Geschäftsmann und befindet sich in New York als die Apokalypse ausbricht und er zum Killer wird, zum Zombie-Killer. Verzweifelt versucht er von New York aus zu seiner Frau zu gelangen, die 900 Meilen entfernt ist. Schnell muss er dabei feststellen, dass die Zombies nicht sein einziges Problem ist. Mit Kyle, einem ehemaligen Armeepiloten, macht er sich auf dem Weg zu seiner Frau. Auf der Flucht treffen sie einen Mann, der ihnen von Avalon erzählt, einer Untergrundfestung, die Schutz bietet. Er bietet ihnen an das auch sie einen Platz in Avalon bekommen werden, wenn sie ihn dort hinbringen…
900 Meilen ist der erste Teil eines zweiteiligen Zombie-Thrillers von S. Jonathan Davis.
Bei diesem Buch bekommt man als Leser genau das was man erwartet einen Zombie-Thriller, der mit einem recht hohen Tempo daherkommt. Der Thriller hat mich zwar im Großen und Ganzen ganz gut unterhalten, war aber leider vom Anfang bis zum Ende vorhersehbar. Wirklich was Neues oder was Interessantes hat sich der Autor hier leider nicht einfallen lassen, und auch die Untergrundfestung Avalon mit seiner Arena war nicht wirklich was Neues und war mir mit bestimmten Darstellung auch einfach zu unglaubhaft.
Die Protagonisten wirkten leider auch ziemlich flach, was bei einem sehr hohem Erzähltempo mit einer Aneinanderreihung von Actionszenen wohl auch nicht ausbleibt. Auch gab es hier wieder nur die Kategorie guter oder böser Mensch, was mir zu einfach gestrickt ist um mir wirklich zu gefallen.
Der Schreib- und Sprachstil ist sehr einfach gehalten, was ein rasches Lesen möglich, aber durch häufige Wiederholungen im Sprachgebrauch das Ganze nicht wirklich interessanter machte.
Das Buch ist ein actionreicher Endzeit-Thriller, den man gut zwischendurch weglesen kann und dabei durchaus unterhält, aber für mich nichts Besonderes beinhaltet hat. Dadurch bin ich mir nicht sicher bin ob ich den zweiten Teil lesen werde, obwohl dieses Buch mit einem Cliffhanger endet.
Mein Fazit:
Unterhaltsamer Zombie-Thriller, den man gut zwischendurch weglesen kann.
This was actually a decent zombie adventure but from page one I just hated the two MCs which made it very tough to root for them. They start trapped in an office building together as people die around them, and make their esvcape from the city with the help of armed men who get them out. It is on the road that they help an injured man who claims to have tickets to a mysterious safe compound where they can safely wait out the apocalypse. John thinks a short stay there to get help with a rescue for his pregnant wife sounds ideal.
The problem for me is that John is against anyone who is bald, fat, disabled, female or trying to help their fellow man while Kyle hates rich people. As the apocalypse begins, John thinks up snide nicknames for those around him and sneers at their fate ( ie his dead boss referred to as formerly fat b*****d)and sneers at anyone trying to come up with a plan as 'taking over'. Why don't YOU do something, eh John??? Those lazy people on mobility scooters deserve to be eaten, his fat boss who eats a lot in his office deserves to be eaten, the janitors who try to fight the zombies are stupid so they also deserve to be eaten, 'Little Patty' the female trying to organise survivors maybe doesn't deserve it quite as much but she kind of does, and there is the bald man, named Mr Cul-de-sac because his hair meets a dead end. There is a lot of fat shaming going on whioch various descriptions of how fat, ugly and disgusting they are. All rich people are asshats, even as John aspires to promotion in the same company to be a rich guy. Funny how he thinks going on this trip when his pregnant wife begged him to stay with her as she was due soon doesn't view himself badly. I hated John and hoped he'd be eaten.
It's a shame as I liked the Avalon plot and the twists that follow as they find out the secrets of the safe haven. I liked getting the true version of the rich man with the tickets. The twists were interesting and well written, and the fight scenes in Avalon were enjoyable. I didn't like the main characters though a few support characters were interesting, and I really didn't like the ending, though that is personal preference really. I just felt that this book could have been really good with better MCs and I don't want to read the next book with them in it.
What a ride this one was! A new threat at every turn, just how I like my zombie stories. But as you might imagine the largest threat, after you learn to take down the zombies, is really other people. John finds out about the zombies overtaking humanity while in his office in New York. He manages to escape and save a helicopter pilot after he crashes and the two of them become a great team. They also meet up with Michael, an older guy who appears to have a ticket to get into a special place he knows of that offers safety. John is frantic to also save his wife but he cannot get to her right away. We follow these men on their journey and it is a fast exciting ride.
I received this book to review from the Author. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for providing them.
Review:
To say John is having a bad day would be an understatement, trapped in one of the world's largest cities at the start of the zombie apocalypse John must make it out of the city alive and home to his pregnant wife located several hundred miles away. Unfortunately for John with worldwide communication shady at best and transportation at a standstill this proves to be an ever increasingly difficult task. Now with the zombie hordes growing by the day and all hell breaking loose will John ever see his wife again? Well sorry no spoilers here, you're just going to have to read for yourself and find out.
When I reached the last page of 900 Miles I knew I had just read something pretty special. I was glued to my Kindle reading this book, I flipped each page with hesitation not knowing what horrors or joys would befall these characters with the flick of a finger. I came to care for John and Kyle as they made their way out of the city and across the undead landscape. I truly hope this is a series because I want to see more from these two. Plus that ending just screams sequel, I'd be so disappointed if it truly ended like that leaving us readers to imagine what went down.
One thing I loved about 900 Miles was the world building. Not only does the Author provide a satisfying amount of backstory before the undead even show up, but, he also shows quite a bit concerning all the characters pasts as the story unfolds. It was really well done. Another thing I enjoyed was the violence. It was gory and primal when it needed to be but not an over the top splatter fest. This book had a heart and the Author made sure that and not the undead carnage is what readers take away from it.
In the end, I really have little to no complaints regarding 900 Miles. This book was well written with strong protagonists and an enjoyable overall story arc. Like I said above, I hope this isn't the end as I'd really love to see more from these characters. I will be rating 900 Miles by S. Jonathan Davis ★★★★★.
What a pleasant surprise this was indeed. I took a shot in the dark on this book when I stumbled across it, but I’m so happy I did . Full disclosure I’m not a huge Zombie Genre fan but I’ve enjoyed the Walking Dead Series so I’m starting to dip my toe into the zombie genre pool and find some others which lead me to this one. This was fast paced, fun, but it pauses enough to add thoughtful human insights to the situations we find the main characters in which I like a lot. You really get to feel a closeness with the folks you are following and sense their desperation.
The book grabs you from the beginning with John our protagonist and his partner in mayhem Kyle both being easy to relate to. John is caught in the corporate rat race and you can feel his disdain for it immediately. Kyle on the other hand has a bit more of a working man’s blue collar feel to him. The dynamic between them is part one of the reason’s I enjoyed this so much. Watching them find common ground and friendship during a zombie apocalypse was fantastic.
I won’t go into details on the plot because I want this to be spoiler free, but some of the scenarios we get into on this ride with these two are just crazy. Everything seems well plotted and thoroughly researched and thought out. Again not too many details but the escape on the boat was one of my favorite parts, but wait until you reach greenbriar! I never even new that area of the country existed and it makes the perfect scene for a Zombie Apocalypse book.
For me the book was a quick read. It is not a long novel and is paced extremely well. 900 Miles felt almost like a roller coaster ride in all the right ways. The plot takes you from point to point and each sequence is action packed, but the you do get a few lulls that give us time to get to know the characters and form a relationship with them. If you are looking for something fun with a high sense of adventure this book is a really good ride!
I love zombie books, But I approach each book like this download I found called “ONE but the only one.”
It’s a 100 song compilation of the song “ONE ” by U2, There are every kind of musical approach to the song. Some are good some are painful. They all have more or less the same words, but how each artist has done something with those words makes all the difference.
900 Miles is a great story about people, and the zombies are almost an after thought.
This is my favorite sort of zombie story,
The people do the sorts of things both good and bad that you can see yourself and your friends doing,They are not superheros, nor are the idiots, The story is very believable and yet there are parts where I had to rewind and listen it again.
Not to give away any of the plot. But when the story goes off the main plot line. Let’s just say I was a little more tired then I would normally be at work the next day. From not being able to just pause it, without hearing how it was going to end.
The story is at it’s heart a very simple one, Something very bad happens and the main person has to struggle to travel 900 miles to where his very pregnant wife is waiting for him. Had the very bad thing, been something like an air plane crash, or say a flood, then the story would be a fairly straight forward one of “man versus the elements”. However the very bad thing that happened was zombies.
Jamison Jones did a great job of narration, and his voice has a familiar ring to it and that might be because he was a regular in the FOX series 24.
900 miles is a long way to go with out the modern conveniences of “zombie free travel”, and you feel every single mile before the story is over.
First: Please, keep in mind this book is almost written as if it was a diary of the main character. That said, if you were writing your story of fighting through Zombies and the terrible monsters that actual humans can become, your grammar and spelling would probably not be top notch either- could this author have left the mistakes for a reason? that said...
This was a very original story of a man and his journey to get back home, where he has a real reason to go. And the reason is not exactly to get away from the Zombies that have over-run the world. I'm not a spoiler writer. So, I will leave the reading of why this very likable character is heading home and suggest that it is one of the best books of this type that I have read.
The ending, or at least the end of this part of the story is a great start for a series! Love how the author puts a twist on things and leaves the book open for a number of different future installments or if this is the only book written (while I would be sad not to have a follow up to read) the book has an ending. Unlike most of the Zombie books being written that leave you hanging-
The author is trying to inject his political beliefs into novel but ends up being trite. Yuck. Started out as a decent zombie book but then ended up just being the authors over the top non-stop rant against the "Elite" aka the uniformly "evil" cartoonish and one dimensional rich. Within 5 days of the virus breaking out he had the elite putting "commoners" as he called them into arena type games against the zombies. Really the world is falling apart due to a virus and the Elites have nothing better to do than start a Romanesque arena? Lame Hope this author uses whatever money he makes from this book to work out his serious over the top hate issues so he can move on. Not saying I'm a fan of most rich people but he made them so one note and dumb it was actually silly. Not even worth finishing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book defiantly deserves way more than 5 stars !
I had to listen to this book because I could not get my hands on a copy of it ...
One of the best Zombie books I have ever read/listened to... I would have to rate it #2, with the walking dead in 1st! But it's a very close race!
What a phenomenal book! -Crazy on the edge of your seat action! -Tons of suspense.. -And most importantly LOTZ of ZOMBIES!
Beautiful written and executed! Loved and hated the ending... Loved it because it was crazy and hated it only because it left off on a huge cliff hanger...
I went online and found out there is going to be a sequel ! And I am totally stoked for it!! Can't wait!
I love you S. Johnathan Davis Thank you for such an ama[Zee]ing novel! You rock!
If i could give this book 6 stars then i would easily. I read some nonsense review previously about this book particularly what the reviewer seemed as political. As us Brits would say "utter cobblers" 900 miles is brilliantly written, and in response to the 1 star reviewer, ive ready a lot of non fiction theory of what may happen after a potential apocalypse, and they are in no doubt, that the wealthy would find themselves in a much better position. And they'd use their power. And everyone knows psychopaths will always survive. Anyway enough of that. I loved this book and really felt the characters toil and pain. This book was the first of many apocalypse books ive read that had a last line that made my jaw drop open.
I loved this book. John and Kyle were characters I cared about. I was disappointed when the book was done but enjoyed the letter from Tyler, John's son, as a little wrap up. Before I was even done reading the book I was checking here on Amazon for a second one and sorry that there isn't a second book as I enjoyed it so. It was action packed right up until the end but also allowed for the characters to have depth so you could care about them.
John is on a business trip in New York when the world falls apart. He is 900 miles away from his wife and all he can think is that he has to get to her. When the zombies first start to appear John meets Kyle. They form a friendship and work well together to fight their way from one bad situation to the next.
It is hard to go wrong with zombies! S. Johnathan Davis does a great job. Throughly enjoyed this book!
I was wowed by this book. I liked John and Kyle. The book is almost like reading a diary. Excellent action and the right amount of tension. I really liked the commentary of greed in a corporate world. I thought it really reflects on society. Tyler's letter was an awesome addition and a unique way of letting us know there would another book.
OMG!! I just finished reading this and I *loved* it! I love Kyle and John and everything that they go through. My only criticisms are that it wasn't quite beefy enough and could have been longer (more to read and love) and that the next one isn't here for me to read! Read it now, it's really worth it, whether you're a fan of the genre or not :)
Loved this book! Twists and turns, but the hero remained focussed on where he was heading. The ending was like - oh no! But I won't tell you why >:-), let's just say I'm hoping it will continue and not be the end of this particular story.
Excellent book in this genre, good story line, not just a constant killing zombies story, although plenty of that of course. A really likeable and believable main character with added dark humour throughout. Will definately read the sequel when that comes out.
Didn't know what to expect. The first drunken thought that hit my mind was the lead singer of KORN was writing a zombie book and therefor I automatically assumed it was going to be complete garbage like all of their albums.
Certainly one of the better ones that I've read recently, and I've read a lot, I'm assuming this is a series just because of the way it ended, if it is then I'll definitely keep reading.
All I can say is that I loved this book. I was looking for something to pass the time until Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" started up. This totally fit the bill. The end was a total shocker. I am ready for the next book to come out in the next 2 weeks.
This dude only writes so he can complain about fat people. Not sure why he bothered trying to create a story, he could’ve just written “I hate fat people” 500 times and it would have been the same book.
Really enjoyed this zombie road trip novel. It starts off with a bang , grabs you by the throat and the pace doesn't let up. By the end you're saying "No,no,no!" Can highly recommend this book